


To Sleep Through The Night (Or Not)

by I_hover_for_fun



Series: Hurt/Comfort Prompts Starring One Nerdy Wizard [3]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series), Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Author Is Sleep Deprived, Beau gets a bedtime story, Caleb Widogast is a Mess, Fjord is soft, M/M, much like Caleb, soft fjord, widofjord if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:01:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23679550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_hover_for_fun/pseuds/I_hover_for_fun
Summary: "How long has it been since you've slept?"Caleb goes too long without sleep. Also Fjord is there.It's sweet, I promise.
Relationships: Fjord & Caleb Widogast
Series: Hurt/Comfort Prompts Starring One Nerdy Wizard [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1694086
Comments: 3
Kudos: 131





	To Sleep Through The Night (Or Not)

**Author's Note:**

> This took way too long to write, ugh. I've been so unmotivated this week and this quarantine is killing me. This one is also a lot longer than the other two (My google document stopped automatically displaying the words count *gasp*)  
> I'm thinking about doing a longer story sometime soon and I have some ideas bouncing around in my head that I need to get written down, so be expecting something like that soon.  
> Also- my tumblr is @i-hover-for-fun in case you want to send a prompt!  
> Anyway, today's prompt is....
> 
> "How long has it been since you've slept?"
> 
> Enjoy!!

“I think we should totally sleep here tonight!” Jester’s energetic voice rang out as the party entered an inn on the edge of town. “It’s very warm and smells good and everyone here looks very nice. Do you think we could make friends?”

“I’m not sure, Jester,” Nott pulled her mask on as she spoke, carefully avoiding the gazes of the other customers present in the establishment. “Some of these people look very angry. Very mean.”

“Very grumpy,” Beau smirked towards the Goblin.

Nott’s eyes shined and she scurried away to the other side of the room, Beau in tow and Jester following close behind. The Tiefling quickly grabbed Fjords hand as she walked away and shoved a few gold pieces into it.

“Here, this should pay for the rooms and maybe a bit more.”

“Thank you, Jester. That’s very kind of you,” Fjord nodded his head and smiled, grateful for Jester's generosity.

Mollymauk gave Fjord a playful punch on the shoulder after Jester had skipped a few feet away. “It looks like you, sir, have yourself a sugar daddy.”

Fjord snorted out a laugh and shook his head. “Now, I would nev-”

“Oh yes, of course, Jester is Beau’s sugar daddy! My mistake,” Molly let out a short laugh. “Now that’s something long overdue!”

Behind him, Yasha shook her head. “You, Mollymauk Tealeaf, are disgusting.”

She clapped him on the shoulder once and trudged away to reserve a table for the group. Of course, that was assuming that they all eventually came together and ceased their stupidity.

“And then there were three,” Caleb said quietly, almost covered up as Molly barked another laugh.

Fjord gave him a glance and then spoke up, managing to cut off the Tiefling. “Well, I don’t know about you two, but I’m gonna grab a drink, fix up my armor, and then head on off to bed. Either of you care to join me?”

“I will join you for maybe an hour or two, but I do not plan on retiring early tonight,” Caleb, busy fishing his spellbook from his holster, replied quickly.

“Sorry boys, but I’ve gotta dash. I’ve got some business to attend to.”

And just like that, the Tiefling was gone, disappearing into the crowded area and making a beeline for a table full of very young (very attractive) men and women.

“I sincerely hope he does not attempt to ‘do’ all of them in one night,” Caleb spoke under his breath, just loud enough for Fjord to hear him.

“Trust me, I share your sentiments.”

Caleb let out a breathy laugh and walked to the left side of the door, taking a seat in a chair close to the raging fire in the corner. It had warmed the chair through the day, making a slight chill run through Caleb’s spine as he eased himself down. It was comfortable.

The man pulled one of his books out of his holster and turned to a specific page, instantly losing himself in the words as he began to read. It was a book he had bought before leaving the last town they were in. Something about the arcane history and the development of relations between the planes of existence. He was hoping to learn a thing or two about harnessing the power of different planes to aid the Mighty Nein in the future.

Fjord watched as Caleb plopped onto the chair, immediately making himself at home. It was always shocking to see the wizard act so comfortably, a complete juxtaposition to his usual socially awkward self. It made Fjord wonder how much the man was hiding beneath his dirty coat and old scarf. How much of his past he covered up. How much he kept hidden from the others.

The warlock moved and sat his armor on the small table in the center of the lounge area and backed up to look at Caleb, who had his legs thrown over one arm of the chair with his head resting on the other.

“D’you want a drink? I’ll grab ya one while I’m over there,” Fjord gestured towards the bar. Despite the amount of people in the inn, the bar didn’t have too many people at it, only a barmaid and another customer talking amongst each other.

Caleb leaned his head back and bit his lip thoughtfully. “Yes, please, but get me something small. I do not hold alcohol very well.”

“Alrighty, I’ll be right back.”

Caleb smiled and returned to his reading. He was trying to finish his research in one evening, planning to process the information as he slept that night. With the addition of the notes he was going to take, he’d be surprised if he got any sleep at all.

Fjord returned moments later with two drinks- a large mug of ale for himself and a smaller cup for Caleb. He wandered over to the lounge area, taking a seat across from the man, who had yet to notice the return of Fjord.

“I- uh- I got you the smallest they had,” Fjord sat the drink on the table as he spoke. 

Caleb perked up and moved his hand to the pouch at his side. “How much do I owe you?”

“Consider it a gift.”

They sat in silence for a while, Fjord polishing his armor and Caleb reading away. It was oddly domestic, something Fjord wasn’t very used to. After so long on the road, it was refreshing to be able to relax and let go, even if it was just for one night.

Two hours and four minutes later, Caleb watched Fjord stretch and slowly stand up. He had finished up his drink forty-eight minutes ago and completed his armor’s polishing 16 minutes after that. 

Fjord ruffled Caleb’s hair as he stepped past him. He stopped for a moment in thought.

“I’m gonna head on up to bed now. Try not to stay up too late, please,” Fjord said with a fond smile, “We are going to try and get an early start tomorrow.”

“Ah, alright. I will try not to take too long,” Caleb craned his head back to look at the warlock. Despite the late hour, he felt more awake than ever, and eager to finish his book. He had no intention of getting to bed in the next few hours.

Once Fjord left, the night passed quickly. Caleb managed to finish his books and even most of his notes. By the time his companions were stumbling sleepily down the stairs the next morning, he had completed all of his work.

Throughout the day, he managed to stay awake. There was excitement to keep him alert- adrenaline rushing through his veins. They had a run-in with some traitorous crownsguard and fought a beast in the nearby woods. 

Altogether, an eventful day.

By the time night once again came, Caleb was busy, curled up in his chair akin to the way he had been the night before. He had his hair pulled back into a messy little ponytail to keep it out of his eyes as he read another book. He had bought a total of three new books that day, one fiction, two history. He planned to spend some time reading and then go up to bed.

Of course, things rarely go as planned.

Caleb finished all three books at around two in the morning. He hadn’t meant to stay up that late, but he had gotten caught up in his reading. And it wasn’t his fault the books were interesting.

As he quietly made his way up the inn’s stairs to the rooms on the next floor, he paused. He could hear a peculiar noise coming from another room.

It sounded like cursing.

Caleb curiously followed the sound. Any cursing at two in the morning couldn’t be good. And if Caleb knew the mighty Nein, he certainly knew that they didn’t necessarily have the best track record when avoiding chaos.

“Um, is everything okay?” Caleb asked as he knocked quietly on an already ajar door. It was too dark for him to see fully, but he could make out the silhouette of a figure against the pale moonlight streaming in from the large window at the back of the room.

“Piece of shit. Fuckin’ mechanics,” a voice spoke, seemingly unaware as Caleb stepped into the room. That filthy mouth could only belong to-

“Beauregard?” Caleb began, “Are you alright?”

“Damn darkvision goggles broke and I’m trying to put the lenses back in,” Beau put down the tool she had been using to poke at the device and sat back in her chair, bending her head to try and see behind her. “What’re you doing up so early?”

“More like up so late. I was reading the books I bought earlier today,” Caleb pulled a chair over to Beau’s desk and took a seat next to her. He sagged into it and leaned heavily forward into himself. He had been hoping to at least get a little sleep, but the odds of that seemed very  
unlikely now that he had found Beau.

“How were they? Anything interesting in them?” Beau had gone back to fiddling with her goggles. It was obvious that she had been working profusely on them for a while, but sadly had nothing to show for them.

“I don’t think you are very much into history, however I did get a novel that was quite a fun read,” Cale cringed as he watched Beau’s small tool slip under the nail of her left index finger.

“Ah, fuck!” Beau snatched her hand back and held it tightly. “Shit, man that hurt.”

Caleb shook his head and held out his own hand. “Would you like some help?”

After a moment’s hesitation, the monk reluctantly handed over the goggles. They were both already pulled up to the desk, so it wasn’t a difficult task for Caleb to scoot his chair forward and begin working. As he did so, a comfortable silence settled over the room, only interrupted by the sounds of his hand working the tools.

“So, Caleb,” Beau sounded awkward, almost bashful if he didn’t know any better, “That book you were talking about earlier.”

“What about it?” Caleb asked, not looking up from his tinkering.

“Tell me the story,” Beau took a pause and yawned, “You seemed pretty ecstatic about it earlier. Or, at least, ecstatic on your standards. Things are usually more muted with you, ya know?”

Caleb nodded. “I suppose I know what you mean. Do you just want the plot? Or-”

“Tell it like a bedtime story. Make it interesting.” 

“Okay, well, once upon a time…”

The night went on as Caleb told the grand story. It was about a dwarf woman who had lost her memory and was trying to find her way in the world. It had a sad ending- the dwarf finally remembering her past but not being happy with the person she had once been. She was so upset that she killed herself the night before a large festival.

Luckily, Beau was fast asleep by the end. She was slouched into Caleb’s side with her head on his shoulder, snoring loudly into his ear. He had long since fixed her goggles and had realized that, once again, he would most like not get much sleep.

He spent the last few hours deep in thought. He was exhausted, but between Beau’s snoring and the uncomfortable chair, the sweet depths of sleep were completely unreachable. His thoughts were occupied by the recent memories of the Mighty Nein. How the group had been working, and how he speculated they would work in the future. They seemed to be doing fine for the time being, but only time could tell.

By the next morning, they were on the road again.

Their cart was fully loaded. Beauregard steered the cart as Jester and Molly rode the two other horses. This left the others to walk along beside the cart, guiding it through the rough terrain and making sure nothing fell out the back or the sides.

Caleb was dead on his feet.

He swayed slightly as he walked and blinked slowly, his eyes practically begging to stay closed. It had been a mistake for him to stay up so long, he knew, but what was done was done and now he just needed to get through the day.

That was easier said than done.

At precisely three past five, Caleb’s problem increased drastically. He was stumbling with every step and shaking with overexertion. His body felt like it was shutting down. He could see Nott next to him saying… something or other, he couldn’t tell. Fjord was suddenly next to him as well and there was a hand on his back and then-

And then he was on the ground, his senses coming back to him slowly but surely. His head still felt foggy and he was still shaking, but he felt a smidge better than he had before.

He struggled to blink his eyes open and looked around blearily as he so. It looked as if no more than an hour had passed. The sun was setting and he could see the faint beginning of stars in the Eastern sky. Around him, it looked as if the Mighty Nein had already set up camp for the evening. The girls were sat around the fire, Beau and Jester arm wrestling as Nott set up her alchemy set. Molly was nowhere to be seen, probably collecting food or wood. And Fjord was…

Where was Fjord?

Caleb began to sit up, a few blankets sliding off of his torso as he moved. They had obviously been tucked around his body with quite some care.

He spun his head around until his eyes finally landed on Fjord, who was moving to sit comfortably just behind Caleb.

“Sorry if I woke you,” he smiled apologetically and brought his hand up to scratch at the short hairs on the back of his neck, “I tried to get up as gently as possible but I still had to move you.”

“What do you mean?” Caleb slurred tiredly, his voice still rough with sleep. He was still slightly propped up and the longer he stayed that way, the more he longed to fall back down and go once more into slumber.

“Er, well,” Fjord stammered, “You sort of- well- I guess fainted would be the best word for it- Right when we were in the middle of walking. Luckily Nott and I were next to you to keep you from bumpin’ your head.”

Caleb rubbed a hand across his face. That was quite embarrassing. Now he was not only squishy, but lacked stamina, too.

“Anyway, we set up camp next to the road and I carried you over next to the fire here,” Fjord paused again, pondering how to best phrase his words. “Then- uh- you sorta just got all comfortable on me so I stayed where I was and you used me as your own little pillow. That is until I got up just now to take a piss.”

Caleb laughed at his bluntness, but was interrupted by his own yawn. “You can leave now, if you want. I can handle myself.”

“I know,” Fjord said, “But I worry and, no offense, but you look awful.

It was true. His hair was sloppily pulled back, half of it not even making it into his hair tie, the other half mussed into knotts at the back of his head. His eyes had bags under them and his arms were already shaking from holding him up for so long. He didn’t even know where his coat was, probably having been taken off after he fell asleep.

Fjord leaned in closer to Caleb, and tucked a stray piece of hair behind Caleb’s ear. For a moment, Caleb saw through his calm exterior to the worry he had beneath his skin. 

“How long has it been since you’ve slept?” the warlock whispered. One hand was on Caleb’s cheek now, the other rubbing small circles into one of the man’s wrists.

“Days,” Caleb responded as he leaned into Fjord’s soft touches.

Fjord guided him to lay back down, rubbing his hands on the wizard’s upper arms and pressing him further towards his makeshift bed. He lead Caleb’s head to lay back down on his thigh and smoothed his hand over his head.

“If you’re uncomfortable with this, we can find you another pillow. Though, I do think this is the warmest and snuggest option, given the circumstances,” Fjord spoke quietly. He was busying himself with pulling the blankets back up onto Caleb and tucking them around his side. They were tight enough to feel nice, yet not too tight as to feel confining.

“This is fine,” the wizard mumbled, turning his face and pressing it into the fabric of Fjord’s pants. His eyes were already slipping shut, his single hour of rest no longer enough to fuel his tired body. In an already-half-asleep daze, he spoke, “Danke, schatz.”

“I don’t know what that means, but sure,” Fjord’s fond whisper accompanied the crackling of the fire and the giggles of the rest of the group were the last things Caleb heard before falling deep into the dark abyss of sleep.


End file.
